Oregon Water Science Center
Welcome to the USGS in Oregon. Our mission is to explore the natural world around us and provide reliable scientific information to help Federal, State, and local agencies, Tribes, and the public make well-informed decisions. Our research is widely used to manage Oregon's water resources for the benefit and safety of people and the environment.
Live Stream Conditions
Live Stream Conditions
See what is happening in streams near you. View real-time stream data for streams around Oregon.
New or Relevant Information
New or Relevant Information
See what the USGS is doing locally.
News
Recharge to the Columbia River Basalt groundwater system
Recharge to the Columbia River Basalt groundwater system
Introducing the Harney Basin groundwater model
Introducing the Harney Basin groundwater model
Three historic USGS streamgages recognized by new World Meteorological Organization designation
Three historic USGS streamgages recognized by new World Meteorological Organization designation
Publications
Comparing modern identification methods for wild bees: Metabarcoding and image-based morphological taxonomic assignment
With the decline of bee populations worldwide, studies determining current wild bee distributions and diversity are increasingly important. Wild bee identification is often completed by experienced taxonomists or by genetic analysis. The current study was designed to compare two methods of identification including: (1) morphological identification by experienced taxonomists using images of field-c
Timing and source of recharge to the Columbia River Basalt groundwater system in northeastern Oregon
Recharge to and flow within the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) groundwater flow system of northeastern Oregon were characterized using isotopic, gas, and age-tracer samples from wells completed in basalt, springs, and stream base flow. Most groundwater samples were late-Pleistocene to early-Holocene; median age of well samples was 11,100 years. The relation between mean groundwater age and com
Groundwater model of the Harney Basin, southeastern Oregon
Groundwater development, mainly for large-scale irrigation, has increased substantially in the Harney Basin of southeastern Oregon since 2010. Concurrently, some areas of the basin experienced groundwater-level declines of more than 100 feet, and some shallow wells have gone dry. The Oregon Water Resources Department has limited new groundwater development in the basin until an improved understand
Science
Recharge to the Columbia River Basalt Groundwater System
Learn about the groundwater flow system within the Columbia River Basalt Group in the Umatilla River Basin.
Upper Klamath Basin Groundwater Studies
Since the late 1990s, USGS has worked to characterize the regional groundwater hydrology of the upper Klamath Basin. Research focuses on collecting data to evaluate the groundwater system and its response to external stresses, and to develop computer models that provide insights for water management. These efforts build on earlier USGS studies going back to the 1950s.
Oregon Water Science Center's Malheur Lake Portfolio
USGS scientists have partnered with local groups to learn about the processes affecting turbidity in Malheur Lake. Located in southeastern Oregon, Malheur Lake and the surrounding refuge provide critical habitat to birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway.